PRDV107: Crisis Communication

Objective 1 - Describe how agricultural organizations used social media during crises.

The social media tools utilized by each of the participants varied greatly (see Table 1). All participants used Facebook and Twitter in some capacity during their respective crises. The majority also used some form of blog platform, with most citing blogs as the main social media outlet they utilized to discuss or share information regarding their crisis.

Table 1 Social media outlets utilized by each participant.

Participants reported using social media in a variety of ways to communicate with stakeholders and the public during their specific crisis. Some participants used social media outlets as a means of monitoring news, information, and updates in the world, their industry, and specifically, surrounding the crisis situation they were facing. According to Maggie, "One of my main duties was to keep a pulse on what consumers were saying and trying to put together blogs that could help producers explain to consumers". Rick added, "I've used my blog as, one, a great way to share my experiences on a daily, day-to-day basis, but also as a resource for people who are looking for information".

Participants also commented on the types of responses they gave via social media. All participants said they felt giving some type of initial response about the crisis via social media was important. Maggie said "Right away, it was just anything you heard you had to post it on Facebook and get the word out there". Once an initial response was provided, participants stated they tried to find ways to share news, information, and updates with the public, whether that content was created by them or simply shared from other sources.

Objective 2 – Examine social media communication strategies used by the agricultural organizations during identified crisis situation.

Most participants responded they had no specific social media strategy or policy they followed on a day-to-day basis, as well as no specific strategy or policy in mind when they responded via social media outlets to the crisis situation. Although no participants stated having a written strategy or policy they followed or used as a guideline, some suggested that they had informal strategies and policies in place for dealing with different aspects of social media use. In regard to dealing with inappropriate or vulgar comments, Lori said "If they made threats or if they used any foul language, I did remove them. I blocked them". Maggie agreed and added, "We don't tolerate negative or personal attacks on our writers".

Other participants mentioned they had informal policies about how to respond to comments. According to Rick, "A lot of the time that negativity is not worth responding to because you're just fueling the fire and drawing attention to that negativity". However, Maggie felt that responding to negative comments was necessary. She said, "Our main policy is don't let those comments go unanswered…take a minute to further expand on your side of the story and bring it back to that main message you're trying to get across". Participants also discussed ways they tried to encourage dialogue with the public via social media. Rick said, "Responding to positive comments is really good for fostering and building relationships. People want to follow and engage with you…if there's potential for dialogue or conversations then I'll kind of carry it along".

In terms of strategy, some participants mentioned they tried to informally plan for certain day-to-day aspects of social media use when they could. According to Beth, "I have a plan for when things are going to release; I schedule posts and do all that". Participants also mentioned having plans for integrating all of their various social media outlets. Lori, for example, stated, "I had it released on Twitter and Facebook. I had it set where if it posted on one it posted on the other [during the crisis]".

Objective 3 - Examine the crisis communication plans used by agricultural organizations.

None of the participants utilized a formal crisis communications plan in place prior to their specific crisis. However, participants' responses indicated that some informal crisis communications strategies were implemented, and all agreed that the need for a crisis communication plan existed. According to Beth, "I think if there was something like that, I think that would be exceptionally helpful. I think that anything that can guide you is good".

Additionally, participants provided suggestions for what they felt should be included in a crisis communication plan including social media. Beth suggested having a clear purpose for crisis communication: "I think you have to have a clear grasp of what's gone on and what your message is, because you might have someone who challenges you, so you're going to need to be able to defend that position". Similarly, many participants mentioned having one clear message to convey to stakeholders and the public. Shane said "You need to have one singular message that you want to communicate with talking points that support that message. And that's gotta go out everywhere, including social media".

Participants also responded there was a need to establish a presence on social media well before a crisis situation developed. Maggie commented, "I guess the biggest thing of using social media to report the news is you've gotta have a presence". Rick added, "I think blogging before the crisis happens, being involved in the conversations, and building those relationships before you need them and being proactive in that manner, it's critically important". Some participants also felt that having relevant, usable, and trustworthy information and resources on hand was important when handling communication surrounding a crisis and would allow them to share information more quickly and efficiently.

Objective 4 – Identify how agricultural organizations perceived the effectiveness of their social media use during a crisis situation.

A majority of the participants said social media played a major, positive role to effectively communicate with stakeholders and the public surrounding the crisis situation they were undergoing. Andrea said "I think they [social media sites] were the most effective means of communication used following the crisis". Rick added, "It's critically important in an age where news and information can go like a wildfire online…we see so many news stories broken and covered on social media before the broadcast networks even get on the air". Beth agreed that social media had an impact on the communication efforts surrounding the crisis she was involved in: "Oh, that [social media] was it! If there hadn't been social media, there would still be plenty of people that had no idea what has gone on".

Objective 5 - Describe lessons learned by participants in regard to their social media communication during a crisis situation.

Participants' responses varied greatly on the lessons they learned from their experience handling crisis communications via social media. Andrea stated:

Several participants agreed that people expect answers during a crisis situation. According to Andrea, "If somebody has enough of a personal interest to contact you asking you a question…I think taking the time to respond to them…does a lot in these instances". Participants also stated asking for help or advice during a crisis was acceptable, and even encouraged, so the best communication possible could be provided to stakeholders and the public. Maggie said, "Rely on those groups or networks that have a large outreach and don't feel like you have to recreate the wheel".

Some participants also said they learned truthful, accurate, and honest information was vital when communicating during a crisis and transparency should be encouraged. According to Rick, "Transparency is the answer. The only way to address all the misinformation out there is with honesty and transparency". Participants also learned the public wanted true depictions of the crises and often responded better to raw, emotional, and truthful posts. Andrea stated, "I learned that what affected me the most and…those moments that I thought were the hardest or the bright spots that I shared were the most well-received by people".

Finally, participants commented they learned people involved with the agricultural industry may not be the most willing to stand up and speak out on issues surrounding their livelihood. According to Rick, "We [the agricultural industry] haven't been taking advantage of social media for communication, and a lot of people have been telling their versions of the stories of food production, agriculture, farming, and ranching that are not always true". Lori added, "I kind of feel like sometimes in agriculture we're educated and we know what's right and wrong, but we're not the first ones to speak up".

Additionally, participants offered some advice to others in the agricultural industry in terms of using social media when handling a crisis situation. Andrea advised to always be prepared and stated, "Specific to the agriculture industry, if you're in it long enough, you're going to go through something like this, and, we all know that". Rick agreed and added, "Just be prepared to engage in conversations. Be prepared to take the criticism that you'll find out there, don't look defensive, and be transparent". He also commented that agricultural organizations should simply start somewhere in terms of social media. "I think it's important to recognize what you can do and can do well, and to take advantage of those and take it step-by-step as you try to get into social media and join in conversations". Finally, Andrea said that agriculturalists should be prepared to continue engaging in conversations pertaining to the crisis well after the crisis itself has ended. She stated, "You need to not just expect this to be something that is over when the initial crisis is over".